Notice of Intent To Prepare a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for the Riverwide Restoration Plan; Allied Paper, Inc./Portage Creek/Kalamazoo River Superfund Site, 9264-9266 [2014-03332]
Download as PDF
<![CDATA[
9264
Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 32 / Tuesday, February 18, 2014 / Notices
Request for New Information
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
To ensure that a 5-year review is
complete and based on the best
available scientific and commercial
information, we request new
information from all sources. See ‘‘What
Information Do We Consider in Our
Review?’’ for specific criteria. If you
submit information, please support it
with documentation such as maps,
bibliographic references, methods used
to gather and analyze the data, and/or
copies of any pertinent publications,
reports, or letters by knowledgeable
sources.
If you wish to provide information for
any species listed above, please submit
your comments and materials to the
appropriate contact in either the Oregon
Fish and Wildlife Office or the Pacific
Islands Fish and Wildlife Office (see
ADDRESSES section).
Fish and Wildlife Service
Public Availability of Comments
Before including your address, phone
number, email address, or other
personal identifying information in your
comment, you should be aware that
your entire comment—including your
personal identifying information—may
be made publicly available at any time.
While you can ask us in your comment
to withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, we
cannot guarantee that we will be able to
do so.
Comments and materials received will
be available for public inspection, by
appointment, during normal business
hours at the offices where the comments
are submitted.
Completed and Active Reviews
A list of all completed and currently
active 5-year reviews addressing species
for which the Pacific Region of the
Service has lead responsibility is
available at https://www.fws.gov/pacific/
ecoservices/endangered/recovery/
5year.html.
Authority
tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
This document is published under the
authority of the Endangered Species Act
of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et
seq.).
Dated: January 16, 2014.
Richard Hannan,
Acting Regional Director, Pacific Region, U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2014–03451 Filed 2–14–14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–55–P
VerDate Mar<15>2010
20:58 Feb 14, 2014
Jkt 232001
[FWS–R3–EC–2013–N297;
FVHC98120300940–XXX–FF03E16000]
Notice of Intent To Prepare a
Programmatic Environmental Impact
Statement for the Riverwide
Restoration Plan; Allied Paper, Inc./
Portage Creek/Kalamazoo River
Superfund Site
Fish and Wildlife Service,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an
environmental impact statement;
request for comments.
AGENCY:
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service (USFWS) and the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) are providing
this notice of intent to prepare an
Environmental Impact Statement for
Kalamazoo River restoration pursuant to
National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA) regulations. USFWS, NOAA,
and the State of Michigan (collectively
referred to as the ‘‘Trustees’’) are also
providing notice of their efforts to plan
restoration projects authorized by the
Comprehensive Environmental
Response, Compensation and Liability
Act (CERCLA) to compensate for
injuries to natural resources from
polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)
released at and from the Allied Paper,
Inc./Portage Creek/Kalamazoo River
Superfund Site (Superfund Site). The
Trustees will prepare a programmatic
environmental impact statement (PEIS)
to identify and evaluate the
environmental impacts associated with
restoration actions that may be
implemented to compensate for injuries
to natural resources and associated
services. The public is invited to
provide comments to assist the Trustees
in the development of a restoration plan
(RP). This notice explains the scoping
process the Trustees will use to gather
input from the public.
DATES: Written comments must be
received by March 20, 2014.
ADDRESSES: Written comments for the
Trustees to consider should be sent to
Lisa Williams, U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, East Lansing Field Office, 2651
Coolidge Road East Lansing, MI 48823.
Comments may also be submitted
electronically to kzoorivernrda@fws.gov,
with ‘‘Kalamazoo River RP/PEIS
Scoping Comment’’ in the subject line.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lisa
Williams, USFWS, by email at lisa_
williams@fws.gov or by phone at (517)
351–8324, or Terry Heatlie, NOAA
SUMMARY:
PO 00000
Frm 00108
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Restoration Center, by email at
Terry.Heatlie@noaa.gov or by phone at
(734) 741–2211.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the
Comprehensive Environmental
Response, Compensation and Liability
Act (CERCLA), 42 U.S.C. 9601 et seq.,
parties responsible for releasing
hazardous substances into the
environment are liable both for the costs
of responding to the release (by cleaning
up, containing, or otherwise
remediating the release) and for
damages arising from injuries to
publicly owned or managed natural
resources resulting from the release.
CERCLA’s Natural Resource Damage
Assessment (NRDA) regulations (43
CFR11) prescribe the process of
assessing the nature and extent of the
resulting injury, destruction, or loss of
natural resources and the services they
provide. Carrying out of the NRDA
process also includes determining the
compensation required to make the
public whole for such injuries,
destruction, or loss. CERCLA authorizes
certain Federal and State agencies and
Indian tribes to act on behalf of the
public as Trustees for affected natural
resources. Under CERCLA, these
agencies and tribes are authorized to
assess natural resource injuries and to
seek compensation, referred to as
damages, from responsible parties,
including the costs of performing the
damage assessment. The Trustees are
required to use recovered damages for
the following purposes only: to restore,
replace, or acquire the equivalent of the
injured or lost resources and services.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
(USFWS) and the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
are providing this notice of intent to
prepare an Environmental Impact
Statement for Kalamazoo River
restoration pursuant to National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
regulations. The NEPA process consists
of a set of fundamental objectives that
include interagency coordination and
cooperation, and public participation in
the planning and development of
projects. NEPA requires Federal
agencies to conduct environmental
reviews of proposed actions to consider
the potential impacts on the
environment. NOAA, USFWS, and the
State of Michigan (collectively referred
to as the ‘‘Trustees’’) are also providing
notice of their efforts to plan restoration
projects to compensate for injuries to
natural resources from polychlorinated
biphenyls (PCBs) released at and from
the Allied Paper, Inc./Portage Creek/
Kalamazoo River Superfund Site
(Superfund Site). The Trustees seek
E:\FR\FM\18FEN1.SGM
18FEN1
tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 32 / Tuesday, February 18, 2014 / Notices
damages from potentially responsible
parties (PRPs) to restore, rehabilitate,
replace, or acquire the equivalent of
natural resources and services injured
by the release of hazardous substances.
The Trustees will prepare a
programmatic environmental impact
statement (PEIS) to identify and
evaluate the environmental impacts
associated with restoration actions that
may be implemented to compensate for
injuries to natural resources and
associated services. The public is
invited to provide comments to assist
the Trustees in the development of a
restoration plan (RP). This notice
explains the scoping process the
Trustees will use to gather input from
the public.
The Trustees have engaged the public
directly in several ways since initiating
the Kalamazoo River Natural Resource
Damage Assessment (NRDA) with the
release of a Preassessment Screen and a
Stage I Assessment Plan in 2000, and
have also gathered scoping information
from other planning processes in which
the public has been engaged. Based on
these previous interactions, the Trustees
do not plan to hold additional scoping
meetings during development of the
draft RP/PEIS. As part of the Stage I
NRDA process, the Trustees met with
the public, solicited restoration project
ideas, spoke directly with individuals
and organizations like the Kalamazoo
River Protection Association and the
Kalamazoo River Watershed Council,
provided findings at a public meeting,
and made the report available for public
review and comment (MDEQ et al. 2005;
see Stage I Assessment Report for the
Kalamazoo River Environment, Volume
2, Chapter 4, available at https://
www.fws.gov/midwest/es/ec/nrda/
KalamazooRiver). The Stage I
Assessment Report provides an
overview of restoration planning,
criteria for evaluating potential
restoration alternatives, and examples of
potential restoration actions for the
Kalamazoo River Environment. The
Draft RP/PEIS will incorporate and
build upon existing restoration planning
information developed in the Stage I
Assessment Report. In addition, the
Trustees have participated in numerous
public meetings hosted by the Michigan
Department of Environmental Quality
and the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency related to the Allied Paper, Inc./
Portage Creek/Kalamazoo River
Superfund Site. Most recently, the
Trustees released a Restoration Plan and
Environmental Assessment (RP/EA) for
Portage Creek and Operable Unit 1
(OU1), which is available on the
USFWS Web site at: https://
VerDate Mar<15>2010
20:58 Feb 14, 2014
Jkt 232001
www.fws.gov/midwest/es/ec/nrda/
KalamazooRiver. and on the NOAA
Web site at: https://www.darrp.noaa.gov/
greatlakes/kalamazoo/pdf/
2013.08.OU1.RPEA_fnl_sm.pdf.
The Trustees solicited public
comment on the Draft OU1 RP/EA
during the spring of 2012 and met with
the public on May 1, 2012. In doing so,
the Trustees received updated input
from individuals, the Kalamazoo River
Watershed Council, Calhoun
Conservation District, Kalamazoo
Nature Center, and the Kalamazoo River
Cleanup Coalition. These interactions
have informed the scope of restoration
planning and have helped identify
significant issues to be evaluated in the
RP/PEIS.
Industrial activities in the Kalamazoo
area have released PCBs into the
environment. Recycling of carbonless
copy paper at several area paper mills
was the primary source of PCB release.
Waste from the recycling of such paper
conducted at Kalamazoo-area paper
mills also contained PCBs, and the
waste was disposed of by several
methods that resulted in releases of
PCBs into the environment. These PCBs
have contaminated sediments, the water
column, and biota in and adjacent to
downstream sections of Portage Creek,
the Kalamazoo River, and Lake
Michigan.
Based on the risks that PCBs pose to
the environment and to human health,
the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) listed the Allied Paper,
Inc./Portage Creek/Kalamazoo River
Superfund Site on the National
Priorities List on August 30, 1990. PCBs
are listed as hazardous substances under
CERCLA. EPA and the Michigan
Department of Environmental Quality
currently describe the Site being
addressed by the Superfund remedial
investigation as including: (1) five
disposal areas and six paper mill
properties; (2) a 3-mile stretch of Portage
Creek from Cork Street in the City of
Kalamazoo to where the creek meets the
Kalamazoo River; and (3) an
approximately 80-mile stretch of the
Kalamazoo River, from Morrow Dam to
Lake Michigan, with adjacent
floodplains, wetlands, and in-stream
sediments.
As defined in the Stage 1 Assessment
Report (MDEQ et al. 2005; available at
https://www.fws.gov/midwest/es/ec/
nrda/KalamazooRiver), the Trustees are
using the term Kalamazoo River
Environment (KRE) to represent the
entire natural resource damage
assessment area. The KRE encompasses
the area being addressed by the
Superfund remedial investigations for
the site’s operable units, along with any
PO 00000
Frm 00109
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
9265
area where hazardous substances
released at or from the Superfund site
have come to be located, and areas
where natural resources or the services
they provide may have been affected by
the Site-related hazardous substances
releases (MDEQ et al. 2005).
As restoration planning proceeds, the
Trustees expect to have opportunities to
settle natural resource damage claims
with willing parties. The RP/PEIS will
provide an ecological framework, with
public input, to maximize the benefits
of specific restoration projects to the
affected resources in the KRE that might
be included in or funded by settlements.
The RP/PEIS will provide criteria and
guidance for Trustees to use in selecting
feasible restoration projects. In
developing the document, the Trustees
will also incorporate public input in the
development and evaluation of
restoration alternatives, including
general categories of potential
restoration actions as well as a few
specific potential projects.
NEPA, 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq., and the
Council on Environmental Quality
regulations implementing NEPA under
40 CFR 1500 et seq., apply to restoration
actions by Federal trustees. The purpose
of the scoping process is to identify the
concerns of the affected public, Federal
agencies, States, and Indian tribes;
involve the public early in the decision
making process; facilitate an efficient
EA/EIS preparation process; define the
issues and alternatives that will be
examined in detail; and save time by
ensuring that draft documents
adequately address relevant issues. The
scoping process reduces paperwork and
delay by ensuring that important issues
are addressed early.
In compliance with 40 CFR 1505 et
seq., the Trustees will include in the
NRDA Administrative Record (Record)
documents that the Trustees rely upon
during the development of the RP and
PEIS. The hard copy Record is on file
at MDEQ (contact Judith Alfano at (517)
373–7402 or alfanoj@michigan.gov), and
selected documents from the Record are
also accessible at the following Web
site: https://www.fws.gov/midwest/es/ec/
nrda/KalamazooRiver. A draft RP/PEIS
document is anticipated to be released
for public comment by Fall 2014.
Specific dates and times for events will
be publicized when scheduled.
Public Comments
Please send comments in reference to:
(a) developing the draft RP/PEIS; (b)
suggestions for additional restoration
actions beyond those described in the
2005 Stage I Assessment Report and the
Portage Creek/OU1 RP/EA; and (c)
considerations for potential impacts of
E:\FR\FM\18FEN1.SGM
18FEN1
9266
Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 32 / Tuesday, February 18, 2014 / Notices
those actions to the human
environment. Please see the ADDRESSES
section for additional submission
information.
Before including your address, phone
number, email address, or other
personal identifying information in your
comment, you should be aware that
your entire comment—including your
personal identifying information—may
be made publicly available at any time.
While you can ask us in your comment
to withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, we
cannot guarantee that we will be able to
do so.
Thomas O. Melius,
Regional Director, Midwest Region, U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2014–03332 Filed 2–14–14; 8:45 am]
Fish Ford
T. 22 S., R. 24 E.,
Sec. 3, lot 2.
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
Cowskin
T. 23 S., R. 24 E.,
Sec. 21, SE1/4SE1/4.
[LLUTY01000–L12320000.EB0000]
Notice of Intent to Collect Fees on
Public Land in Grand County, Utah
Bureau of Land Management,
Interior.
Notice of Intent.
ACTION:
Pursuant to applicable
provisions of the Federal Lands
Recreation Enhancement Act (REA), the
Moab Field Office of the Bureau of Land
Management (BLM) is proposing to
begin collecting fees for overnight
camping within six developed
campgrounds.
SUMMARY:
Effective 6 months after the
publication of this notice, the BLM-Utah
Moab Field Office would initiate fee
collection at the camping areas unless
BLM publishes a Federal Register
notice to the contrary.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: J.
Rockford Smith, Recreation Division
Chief, Moab Field Office, Bureau of
Land Management, 82 East Dogwood,
Moab, UT 84532, (435) 259–2100.
Persons who use a telecommunications
device for the deaf (TDD) may call the
Federal Information Relay Service
(FIRS) at 1–800–877–8339 to leave a
message or question for the above
individual. The FIRS is available 24
hours a day, seven days a week. Replies
are provided during normal business
hours.
tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
DATES:
The Utah
Resource Advisory Council (RAC),
functioning as a Recreation Resource
Advisory Committee (RRAC), will
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
VerDate Mar<15>2010
20:58 Feb 14, 2014
Jkt 232001
Salt Lake Meridian
Swasey’s Rapid
T. 20 S., R. 16 E.,
Sec. 3, lots 2 and 3.
BILLING CODE 4310–55–P
AGENCY:
review the proposal to charge fees at the
sites mentioned below. Future
adjustments in the fee amount will be
made in accordance with the Moab
Field Office’s Business Plan for BLM
Moab Campgrounds (Amended 2014)
covering the sites. Future fee
adjustments will only be made after
consideration of comments received on
a publicly reviewed business plan
amendment and after consultation with
the Utah Recreation Resource Advisory
Committee and other appropriate
advance public notice.
The BLM is proposing to begin
collecting fees for overnight camping
within the following six developed
campgrounds:
Bitter Creek
T. 19 S., R. 25 E.,
Sec. 14, SE1/4NE1/4.
Westwater
T. 20S., R. 25 E.,
Sec. 12, tract 37.
Hideout
T. 24 S., R. 25 E.,
Sec. 29, SE1/4NW1/4.
These proposed fee sites are located
in Grand County, Utah. Under Section
6802(g)(2) of the REA, the campgrounds
listed above qualify as a site wherein
visitors can be charged an ‘‘Expanded
Amenity Recreation Fee.’’
Visitors wishing to use the expanded
amenities the BLM has developed at
Westwater, Bitter Creek, Fish Ford,
Cowskin, Hideout and Swasey’s Rapid
campgrounds would purchase a
Recreation Use Permit as described at 43
CFR Part 2930. Specific visitor fees will
be identified and posted at the
developed campgrounds. Fees must be
paid at the self-service pay station
located at the developed campgrounds
upon occupying the site. Dependent
upon need, reservable group camp sites
may be developed, and at that time
advanced reservation may be made
through the reservations office of the
Moab Field Office. People holding the
America The Beautiful—The National
Parks and Federal Recreational Lands—
Interagency Senior Pass, or an
Interagency Access Pass would be
entitled to a 50 percent discount on all
PO 00000
Frm 00110
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
expanded amenity fees except those
associated with group reservations. Fees
charged for use of the group sites would
include a non-refundable site
reservation fee and a per person use fee.
The Westwater and Fish Ford
developed campgrounds were
constructed in the middle 1980s and
have been in use for more than two
decades. Over time, the use has
increased and the BLM has added
amenities for resource protection and
visitor enjoyment. Westwater and Fish
Ford are located within the Two Rivers
Special Recreation Management Area
(SRMA). Westwater campground offers
a public water system, four toilets, two
changing rooms, seven individual sites
(with 15 more under construction), an
access road, regular patrols, fire rings,
tent spaces, and picnic tables. Fish Ford
campground offers one toilet, ten
individual sites, an access road, regular
patrols, fire rings, tent spaces, and
picnic tables.
Bitter Creek campground is located
along the Kokopelli’s Trail within the
Utah Rims SRMA and offers one toilet,
10 individual sites, an access road,
regular patrols, fire rings, tent spaces,
and picnic tables.
Cowskin campground is located
within the Colorado Riverway SRMA
and offers one toilet, 10 individual sites,
an access road, regular patrols, fire
rings, tent spaces, and picnic tables.
Hideout campground is located along
the Kokopelli’s Trail within the
Extensive Recreation Management Area.
It offers five individual sites, an access
road, regular patrols, fire rings, tent
spaces, and picnic tables.
Swasey’s Rapid campground is
located along the Green River just
upstream of the boat ramp and parking
area. It is located within the Lower Gray
Canyon SRMA. It offers one toilet, 15
individual sites, an access road, regular
patrols, fire rings, tent spaces, and
picnic tables.
The BLM is committed to provide,
and receive fair value for, the use of
developed recreation facilities and
services in a manner that meets public
use demands, provides quality
experiences and protects important
resources. The BLM’s policy is to collect
fees at all specialized recreation sites, or
where the BLM provides facilities,
equipment or services at Federal
expense, in connection with outdoor
use as authorized by the REA. In an
effort to meet increasing demands for
services and maintenance of developed
facilities, the BLM would implement a
fee program for the campgrounds. The
BLM’s mission for the campgrounds is
to ensure that funding is available to
maintain facilities and recreational
E:\FR\FM\18FEN1.SGM
18FEN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 32 (Tuesday, February 18, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9264-9266]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-03332]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R3-EC-2013-N297; FVHC98120300940-XXX-FF03E16000]
Notice of Intent To Prepare a Programmatic Environmental Impact
Statement for the Riverwide Restoration Plan; Allied Paper, Inc./
Portage Creek/Kalamazoo River Superfund Site
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement;
request for comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are providing this notice
of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for Kalamazoo
River restoration pursuant to National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
regulations. USFWS, NOAA, and the State of Michigan (collectively
referred to as the ``Trustees'') are also providing notice of their
efforts to plan restoration projects authorized by the Comprehensive
Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) to
compensate for injuries to natural resources from polychlorinated
biphenyls (PCBs) released at and from the Allied Paper, Inc./Portage
Creek/Kalamazoo River Superfund Site (Superfund Site). The Trustees
will prepare a programmatic environmental impact statement (PEIS) to
identify and evaluate the environmental impacts associated with
restoration actions that may be implemented to compensate for injuries
to natural resources and associated services. The public is invited to
provide comments to assist the Trustees in the development of a
restoration plan (RP). This notice explains the scoping process the
Trustees will use to gather input from the public.
DATES: Written comments must be received by March 20, 2014.
ADDRESSES: Written comments for the Trustees to consider should be sent
to Lisa Williams, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, East Lansing Field
Office, 2651 Coolidge Road East Lansing, MI 48823. Comments may also be
submitted electronically to kzoorivernrda@fws.gov, with ``Kalamazoo
River RP/PEIS Scoping Comment'' in the subject line.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lisa Williams, USFWS, by email at
lisa_williams@fws.gov or by phone at (517) 351-8324, or Terry Heatlie,
NOAA Restoration Center, by email at Terry.Heatlie@noaa.gov or by phone
at (734) 741-2211.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the Comprehensive Environmental
Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA), 42 U.S.C. 9601 et
seq., parties responsible for releasing hazardous substances into the
environment are liable both for the costs of responding to the release
(by cleaning up, containing, or otherwise remediating the release) and
for damages arising from injuries to publicly owned or managed natural
resources resulting from the release. CERCLA's Natural Resource Damage
Assessment (NRDA) regulations (43 CFR11) prescribe the process of
assessing the nature and extent of the resulting injury, destruction,
or loss of natural resources and the services they provide. Carrying
out of the NRDA process also includes determining the compensation
required to make the public whole for such injuries, destruction, or
loss. CERCLA authorizes certain Federal and State agencies and Indian
tribes to act on behalf of the public as Trustees for affected natural
resources. Under CERCLA, these agencies and tribes are authorized to
assess natural resource injuries and to seek compensation, referred to
as damages, from responsible parties, including the costs of performing
the damage assessment. The Trustees are required to use recovered
damages for the following purposes only: to restore, replace, or
acquire the equivalent of the injured or lost resources and services.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are providing this notice of
intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for Kalamazoo River
restoration pursuant to National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
regulations. The NEPA process consists of a set of fundamental
objectives that include interagency coordination and cooperation, and
public participation in the planning and development of projects. NEPA
requires Federal agencies to conduct environmental reviews of proposed
actions to consider the potential impacts on the environment. NOAA,
USFWS, and the State of Michigan (collectively referred to as the
``Trustees'') are also providing notice of their efforts to plan
restoration projects to compensate for injuries to natural resources
from polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) released at and from the Allied
Paper, Inc./Portage Creek/Kalamazoo River Superfund Site (Superfund
Site). The Trustees seek
[[Page 9265]]
damages from potentially responsible parties (PRPs) to restore,
rehabilitate, replace, or acquire the equivalent of natural resources
and services injured by the release of hazardous substances. The
Trustees will prepare a programmatic environmental impact statement
(PEIS) to identify and evaluate the environmental impacts associated
with restoration actions that may be implemented to compensate for
injuries to natural resources and associated services. The public is
invited to provide comments to assist the Trustees in the development
of a restoration plan (RP). This notice explains the scoping process
the Trustees will use to gather input from the public.
The Trustees have engaged the public directly in several ways since
initiating the Kalamazoo River Natural Resource Damage Assessment
(NRDA) with the release of a Preassessment Screen and a Stage I
Assessment Plan in 2000, and have also gathered scoping information
from other planning processes in which the public has been engaged.
Based on these previous interactions, the Trustees do not plan to hold
additional scoping meetings during development of the draft RP/PEIS. As
part of the Stage I NRDA process, the Trustees met with the public,
solicited restoration project ideas, spoke directly with individuals
and organizations like the Kalamazoo River Protection Association and
the Kalamazoo River Watershed Council, provided findings at a public
meeting, and made the report available for public review and comment
(MDEQ et al. 2005; see Stage I Assessment Report for the Kalamazoo
River Environment, Volume 2, Chapter 4, available at https://www.fws.gov/midwest/es/ec/nrda/KalamazooRiver). The Stage I Assessment
Report provides an overview of restoration planning, criteria for
evaluating potential restoration alternatives, and examples of
potential restoration actions for the Kalamazoo River Environment. The
Draft RP/PEIS will incorporate and build upon existing restoration
planning information developed in the Stage I Assessment Report. In
addition, the Trustees have participated in numerous public meetings
hosted by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency related to the Allied Paper, Inc./
Portage Creek/Kalamazoo River Superfund Site. Most recently, the
Trustees released a Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment (RP/
EA) for Portage Creek and Operable Unit 1 (OU1), which is available on
the USFWS Web site at: https://www.fws.gov/midwest/es/ec/nrda/KalamazooRiver. and on the NOAA Web site at: https://www.darrp.noaa.gov/greatlakes/kalamazoo/pdf/2013.08.OU1.RPEA_fnl_sm.pdf.
The Trustees solicited public comment on the Draft OU1 RP/EA during
the spring of 2012 and met with the public on May 1, 2012. In doing so,
the Trustees received updated input from individuals, the Kalamazoo
River Watershed Council, Calhoun Conservation District, Kalamazoo
Nature Center, and the Kalamazoo River Cleanup Coalition. These
interactions have informed the scope of restoration planning and have
helped identify significant issues to be evaluated in the RP/PEIS.
Industrial activities in the Kalamazoo area have released PCBs into
the environment. Recycling of carbonless copy paper at several area
paper mills was the primary source of PCB release. Waste from the
recycling of such paper conducted at Kalamazoo-area paper mills also
contained PCBs, and the waste was disposed of by several methods that
resulted in releases of PCBs into the environment. These PCBs have
contaminated sediments, the water column, and biota in and adjacent to
downstream sections of Portage Creek, the Kalamazoo River, and Lake
Michigan.
Based on the risks that PCBs pose to the environment and to human
health, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) listed the
Allied Paper, Inc./Portage Creek/Kalamazoo River Superfund Site on the
National Priorities List on August 30, 1990. PCBs are listed as
hazardous substances under CERCLA. EPA and the Michigan Department of
Environmental Quality currently describe the Site being addressed by
the Superfund remedial investigation as including: (1) five disposal
areas and six paper mill properties; (2) a 3-mile stretch of Portage
Creek from Cork Street in the City of Kalamazoo to where the creek
meets the Kalamazoo River; and (3) an approximately 80-mile stretch of
the Kalamazoo River, from Morrow Dam to Lake Michigan, with adjacent
floodplains, wetlands, and in-stream sediments.
As defined in the Stage 1 Assessment Report (MDEQ et al. 2005;
available at https://www.fws.gov/midwest/es/ec/nrda/KalamazooRiver), the
Trustees are using the term Kalamazoo River Environment (KRE) to
represent the entire natural resource damage assessment area. The KRE
encompasses the area being addressed by the Superfund remedial
investigations for the site's operable units, along with any area where
hazardous substances released at or from the Superfund site have come
to be located, and areas where natural resources or the services they
provide may have been affected by the Site-related hazardous substances
releases (MDEQ et al. 2005).
As restoration planning proceeds, the Trustees expect to have
opportunities to settle natural resource damage claims with willing
parties. The RP/PEIS will provide an ecological framework, with public
input, to maximize the benefits of specific restoration projects to the
affected resources in the KRE that might be included in or funded by
settlements. The RP/PEIS will provide criteria and guidance for
Trustees to use in selecting feasible restoration projects. In
developing the document, the Trustees will also incorporate public
input in the development and evaluation of restoration alternatives,
including general categories of potential restoration actions as well
as a few specific potential projects.
NEPA, 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq., and the Council on Environmental
Quality regulations implementing NEPA under 40 CFR 1500 et seq., apply
to restoration actions by Federal trustees. The purpose of the scoping
process is to identify the concerns of the affected public, Federal
agencies, States, and Indian tribes; involve the public early in the
decision making process; facilitate an efficient EA/EIS preparation
process; define the issues and alternatives that will be examined in
detail; and save time by ensuring that draft documents adequately
address relevant issues. The scoping process reduces paperwork and
delay by ensuring that important issues are addressed early.
In compliance with 40 CFR 1505 et seq., the Trustees will include
in the NRDA Administrative Record (Record) documents that the Trustees
rely upon during the development of the RP and PEIS. The hard copy
Record is on file at MDEQ (contact Judith Alfano at (517) 373-7402 or
alfanoj@michigan.gov), and selected documents from the Record are also
accessible at the following Web site: https://www.fws.gov/midwest/es/ec/nrda/KalamazooRiver. A draft RP/PEIS document is anticipated to be
released for public comment by Fall 2014. Specific dates and times for
events will be publicized when scheduled.
Public Comments
Please send comments in reference to: (a) developing the draft RP/
PEIS; (b) suggestions for additional restoration actions beyond those
described in the 2005 Stage I Assessment Report and the Portage Creek/
OU1 RP/EA; and (c) considerations for potential impacts of
[[Page 9266]]
those actions to the human environment. Please see the ADDRESSES
section for additional submission information.
Before including your address, phone number, email address, or
other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be
aware that your entire comment--including your personal identifying
information--may be made publicly available at any time. While you can
ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be
able to do so.
Thomas O. Melius,
Regional Director, Midwest Region, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2014-03332 Filed 2-14-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P
